It's not a roll, it's a bolster!

This past Saturday was the first warm day of 2018. The day was preceded by a week of sunny weather, which was perfect. These two things culminate into one glorious event - cemetery hunting!
While wandering the lanes of the Oak Hill Cemetery in Plattsmouth, NE, my young companion sees a gravestone and asks, "Hey Shannon, what does that one mean?" The answer she received was a vague, less than informative response along the lines of "well, the circle shape represents life eternal, with no beginning and no ending". Well, I'm probably right :)
So this of course prompted me to run right home and do a little research (as most quandaries at the cemetery do) and instead of just shooting her a text, I thought "why not start a blog?" So here it is ladies and gentlefolk - not only does History Walk, we also have Cemetery Talks!
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Lucinda Gibson, Oak Hill Cemetery, Plattsmouth, Cass Co., NE

It's called a bolster and they were most popular in the early twentieth century (State of Indiana). 
The meaning behind the monument is not an easy thing to find. There is no listing for a bolster in my favorite cemetery resource, Stories in Stone by Douglas Keister, and contrary to popular belief Google doesn't know everything.

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According to dictionary.com, a bolster is most often used to describe an item, such as a pillow or log, used to support or uplift. Perhaps the symbolism behind these cylindrical monuments is to uplift and support the spirit? Alas, I have found no resources to confirm or debunk my interpretations. If I come across one, I'll be sure to update this blog post.

Christina Westrom, Prospect Hill Cemetery, Omaha, Douglas Co., NE

Thanks for visiting, and Happy Hunting!

References
Bolster. (n.d.). Retrieved March 06, 2018, from http://www.dictionary.com/browse/bolster?s=t
Keister, D. (2004). Stories in stone: a field guide to cemetery symbolism and iconography. Salt Lake City: Gibbs Smith, Publisher.
State of Indiana. (n.d.). Terms used to describe cemeteries and grave markers . Retrieved March 5, 2018, from https://www.in.gov/dnr/historic/files/cem_glossary.pdf